Today, PlanPhilly begins its look back at 2011 with a piece on the SS United States, by Steven Ujifusa. This year the SS United States Conservancy negotiated to take title of the ship, and launched an ambitious restoration project with an eye toward the ship’s reuse.

In this week’s Flying Kite, Councilman Bill Green has a piece about Business Privilege Tax reform, including ditching the net income tax, which puts local businesses at a competitive disadvantage. Green writes, BPT reform “along with redrafting the city’s outdated Zoning Code and reforming the city’s dysfunctional property assessment system, helps send the message that the city is open for business and will encourage, rather than impede, growth.”